MichiganCardinal

Big caveat on the Rapoport report: Justin Rogers reached out to a "trusted team source" who denied the report. "So as of now, I firmly believe it remains unofficial."

He can mow the grass on the Allen Park hill.

Goff is near his ceiling. That's not a shot, it's just a reality that how well he performed this year is hard to better, because he was so good. I don't think there is another "level" to his game we are going to see, because I can't imagine what they would even look like. "Improving" on this season probably looks like having less duds, in terms of the Houston and Washington games.

Objectively, Ohio State was the best team in the country. Objectively, Ohio State is the least deserving National Champion since at least 1990 Colorado, and maybe dating back to 1960 Minnesota. Theoretically, if a 10-1 team ranked in the top five enters rivalry week eliminated from contention from the conference championship, should they rest starters? The new playoff format clearly says yes. To be clear, I'm not complaining. Just stating implications - intended or otherwise - of the new format. They ultimately crowned the most talented team, and if that was the goal, then mission accomplished.

I’m surprised Johnson went to Chicago after seemingly having been picky the last two cycles. The Bears are not a significantly better organization or situation than Carolina. I’m not surprised Glenn went to the Jets. With only 32 jobs, he’s wanted one for a few years and he’s not as hot a commodity as Johnson. I am surprised the Jets are going back to back motivational DCs. But it’s not like Saleh was the problem there anyway.

Only the coaching staff knows because we never actually see him. I don’t expect him to be traded though. His value is about as low as it could be. It doesn’t inspire confidence that in the end of his second season in the league, shortly after his 27th birthday, the team thought a guy who was coaching high school ball a month ago gave them a better chance to win. I’m sure Teddy being a veteran played into that, but the point remains.

I’m looking forward to crowning either Northern Illinois or the University of Michigan the 2024 National Champion tonight.

The problem with the Bears is that it’s not a quick turnaround. It’s easy for people look at the offense and see weapons and a mobile QB and think they should be a nine-win team from the jump, but you have a porous OL and a QB who is seeing ghosts, to go with a mediocre defense at best… How many OL can you draft and start immediately? I think you need at least three replacements to make that a strength, and Poles doesn’t inspire confidence to find one, let alone three. Meanwhile, that very GM who I don’t trust to find an OL doesn’t have two or three years. He’s got one. Just seems like a train that’s already on the tracks to a two-and-done, even if it’s not even Johnson’s fault.

Saleh seems destined for SF, but I would love to have him here.

Although I liked him as OC, Ben Johnson doesn’t scare me as a rival head coach. His offensive line in Chicago will still be trash. Caleb Williams is a vastly different QB than Jared Goff, and I have no confidence he will resurrect his career. They have enough talent to win some games out there, but I’d be surprised if he’s a magic man who finally brings the Bears success. I’m more interested in who we replace him with here. I’m thinking it’ll be Tanner Engstrand, but Scottie Montgomery is a possibility.

I think Levi comes back on a one-year deal, maybe a quasi two-year with an out after one. Nobody in the league is going to give him serious money the way his first three seasons went. He needs to prove he can stay healthy. If they do, more power to him. Not sure what they do with Zeitler. He’s probably got to decide if he wants to hang up the cleats first. I’d bring him back for another year, but I also wouldn’t be opposed to moving Glasgow back to the left side and having Mahagony start. I don’t think we can afford CDIII. He will get a big deal. I think the plan was to have Rakestraw as CB2, but we haven’t seen enough of him to know if he’s ready. I don’t need to see Davenport or Moseley back. There comes a time when injury prone turns into undependable, and they’ve both entered that category. As far as this goes, I’m not there yet, really on any of the three, but especially not Vaki or Manu. I’m close on Martin, but Levi showed that a big step forward can happen in year four. Manu could still turn into Decker’s replacement and Vaki into Montgomery’s. Way too early on them. The cheap shot on Goff yesterday did reveal that there is an utter lack of trust or confidence in Hooker. They literally took a high school coach off the street and said “you are higher on the depth chart than the dude we drafted in the 3rd round who’s been with us for two years now.”

Anecdotal, but the lone Commanders fan in my section was a total douchebag. He was chill with me to start the game, ribbing back and forth, but he took it way too far in the second half. There is a kid probably 10 years old who sits in the seats next to me, possibly on the spectrum, who gets really into the game. It’s a highlight of the game for me when he’s there. The dude behind me would not stop giving him and his mom ****. It was pathetic. He ended up getting kicked out by stadium security after he made a sexist comment to the mom, asking where the kid’s dad was so he could “teach the kid some manners.” When others in the section called him out, he started literally begging someone to throw a punch so he could fight them. Some real Philly nonsense. The kid took it well. He was more upset about the loss than anything, but I had a good conversation with him after the game and told him to keep his chin up, how he was the best fan in the section and we need him next year. I try to keep it real with opposing fans, but for that fan’s sake I hope the Commanders get clobbered in the next round.

I think things that occurred before I was alive played any role yesterday whatsoever.

On a large scale I’m not going to defend Ben Johnson. I like the play call, and it’s the kind of thing we are going crazy about if it works and Jamo throws a TD. Iif you want to dispute the timing fine, but I’m not that worked up over any single call. I said last night that this game is his Lions legacy if he leaves, and I stand by that. His unit coughed the ball up five times in the biggest game of his tenure, and that falls at his feet.

I agree. Washington is a top 10-15 team that played mistake-free football, and that’s enough when your opponent gives you five free possessions. Detroit wins the game more often than not. At the same time, I think it would have been a far cry to beat an Eagles, Bills, or Ravens team with this defense. Early in the season, we saw our defense take over and do enough to win games when our offense was struggling (e.g., Cardinals, Texans). That wasn’t about to happen after the final daggers against Buffalo, losing Alim and CDIII. It’s hard to win a Super Bowl, let alone win one with only one Super Bowl worthy unit. Now I’m not saying it was inevitable so might as well lose yesterday, but just to say I truly think the defensive injuries is what doomed this team in a larger context. The only point I’ll push back is that the Jamo throw was on Jamo, not Ben Johnson. That was drawn up to look like the same play that went for six, but Jamo made it obvious he was throwing way too soon, and then needed to throw that ball away when it wasn’t there. I actually love the play design, the execution was atrocious.

In hindsight, I think the defense broke during and after Buffalo, but Chicago and Minnesota were pedestrian enough to disguise it.

The only way they lose this game and they said hold my beer.

I'm honestly less bummed than I was last year. With the injuries, and the fluky feel to just how poorly Goff performed, I don't know. Just a wicked bad beat for a really good football team. Now that's not excusing the coaching staff. If Johnson and Glenn aren't back, this game is ultimately their legacy. Their offense coughed up five turnovers and their defense gave up 38 points (and realistically 41+) when it mattered most. That's at their feet. Ultimately, that's who they'll forever be, if they're gone. They have no excuses not to be even better next season. While they won't go 17-0, that should be the expectation with the roster they'll have returning. You can't go 15-2, lose Tim Patrick, and go 10-7.

They won’t play another meaningful game for a calendar year.

In a best of five series the Lions would win the next three games. You don’t get to just call a mulligan on four turnovers in the playoffs. I’m bitterly disappointed in the coaching staff. The team wasn’t ready for the moment.

Bucs style coaching malfeasance. They had them stopped on 4th down, I’m sure of it.

MASSIVE stop there. That’s how it starts.

This is the loudest I’ve heard Ford Field. The 3/14 and 4/1 stop early, my ears were ringing. Like concert pit level noise. So far the team isn’t taking any advantage.

It’s a long way from over. The Washington D is like soft butter. But you need to stop gifting them points, and the D needs to make an adjustment. Simple as that. Do those two things and you win this game.